Pa·tience

/ˈpāSHəns/

noun: patience

1. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay.

Sometimes in life, good things come to those who wait, even if the waiting period is much longer than expected.  You’ll notice that I couldn’t resist the urge to lead off this post with a definition for “patience.”  Many months ago, around the time a particular Rioja wine order was placed by us with its supplier, I might have substituted the verb “anticipating,” as used in the following sentence:

“ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Wine Spectator’s 2013 Wine of the Year in their stores.”

But unfortunately, to paraphrase Robert Burns (or was it John Steinbeck?), it seemed that the best laid plans of mice and men did indeed go awry.  In fact, with our order for 2004 Cune Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva endlessly tied up in distribution limbo, things were beginning to take the guise of another literary tome, Milton’s Paradise Lost.

So imagine my immense surprise when, lo and behold, our allocation appeared out of the blue at our warehouse last week!  Well, that is to say, albeit short of our original requested allocation.  At only 20 cases in stock, plainly stating this highly regarded wine will be gone relatively quickly is probably an understatement.

So if you too were eagerly anticipating the arrival of this 95 point rated classic (priced at $59.99), I would run rather than walk to your local ABCFWS location and secure a bottle or two.  Once you acquire this wine you can enjoy it now (especially decanted and served with grilled beef or lamb).  However, do not feel any unduly pressure to consume it straight away even though the vintage is nearly a decade old. 

Technically, Gran Reserva wines in Rioja require a minimum 5 years traditional aging in a combination of barrel and bottle before they are allowed by Consejo rules to be released to the public.  For many of the top Rioja producers, like Cune, 2004 is their current release for these wines.  This vintage, along with 2005, is considered one of the very best in the region during the previous decade.

They’re often made in a style that will reward additional cellaring as Gran Reserva wines typically have the stuffing to age and improve for many more years.  I can attest to this personally, as I’ve experienced the pleasure of great old Rioja vintages that are still drinking very well today, including 1970 and 1964.

Will this wine live up to the legends of those exceptional years?  Just like great works of literature that still echo through time, I believe it ultimately will.         

Jim Greeley, SW Florida Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @ABCWineJimG